On the links: Young golfers improving each year

Published 5:51 pm, Saturday, July 20, 2013

Jordan Spieth made headlines last Sunday, becoming the youngest player in 82 years to win a PGA Tour Event. The 19-year-old's victory in a five-hole playoff at the John Deere Classic was, of course, considered a stunner because of the age at which he accomplished such a feat. After Spieth's championship performance I checked out his results prior to the John Deere Classic and learned he produced five top-10 finishes in his previous 15 PGA events.

So, what's my point?

Well, though Spieth made history by capturing a PGA Tour event title at such a young age, nothing really surprises me with what I've seen from young players today. Players like Rory McIlroy (though he's currently struggling) and Keegan Bradley have already made their marks, winning major events. Then there's Patrick Cantlay, remember what he did at The Travelers Championship in Cromwell in 2011, shooting a 60 for the lowest round ever by an amateur at a PGA event?, and Scott Langley, to name just a couple more.

Most of the golf I cover for Hearst Newspapers is at the high school/junior level and in the 10 years that I've visited the courses in Fairfield County, I've noticed the young players are shooting lower, driving the ball farther and playing better, practically each year. I had the pleasure of covering the nation's oldest junior tournament for three days last week at Fairview Country Club in Greenwich -- the 96th Met Junior Championship -- and the event was a Who's Who of the top players in the tri-state area.

If the extreme heat had any effect on the players, it didn't, as the match play tournament featured a number of strong performances. Three of the four semifinalists at the Met Junior Championship -- champion Cameron Young, runner-up Jeremy Wall and Norwalk resident Jacob Henny -- qualified for this week's U.S. Junior Championship in Calif. Talk about a talented leaderboard.

While at Fairview Country Club I talked to head professional Shaun Powers, who shared his thoughts about the rise of the young players.

"I think younger players are better today because of Tiger Woods and the type of athletes he's brought into the game," Powers said. "He has brought in kids who have played basketball, baseball and football. Now, they are playing golf as their No. 1 sport. A lot of my generation, the better athletes took up golf after college or after they got married. Those athletes are now taking up the sport at 10 or 11 or much earlier in life."

Doug Holub, a teaching professional at D. Fairchild Wheeler Golf Course in Fairfield, shared a similar sentiment.

"The emergence of Tiger in the late 90s really helped a lot of kids get into golf," Holub said. "He made it cool for kids to play golf. Improved fitness is also an issue. When I was growing up some of the main golfers that we watched on TV like Jack Nicklaus had bellies. Today, these young players go to the gym and work out after playing a round."

Said Powers: "These kids are stronger, bigger and better athletes. They have taken Tiger's blueprint and run with it. The thinking now is, you can't be too strong and in too good a shape."

Lou Cutolo, the foundation manager for the Metropolitan Golf Association, likes the trend he's seen on the junior golf circuit. He's noticed the Met Junior Championship and the other junior events the MGA holds become more competitive each year.

"I have been running our junior championship for the past 10 years and the field has gotten deeper and deeper," Cutolo said. "Seven or eight years ago, eight, nine or maybe 10 players would have a shot at winning this. Looking at this field, I wouldn't be surprised if 25 or more won it."

There's a lot more tournaments for youngsters to compete in than 10 years ago, or eons ago when I was in high school, and they're taking full advantage of it.

"They are playing tournaments just about every week," Cutolo said. "Practically every week there's a junior tournament and the juniors are also playing a lot of adult events and are doing well in those events, too. When I was growing up, there was high school golf and maybe a couple of tournaments during the summer. There's also more fine-tuning involved today. The technology and equipment is better -- a lot of these kids can hit the ball a mile -- which is a big advantage too."

The specialization of the high school athlete also comes into play.

"A lot of kids are investing more time in playing golf," Holub said. "It's become close to a full-time job. There's not as many multi-sport athletes as there was in the past. You don't see too many football players, baseball players and golfers. They are focused on one sport."

Like many courses, Fairview Country Club and Fairchild Wheeler are busy these days teaching and introducing the sport to kids of all ages.

"We have kids on our range all day," Holub said. "Our course is serving as the headquarters of the Nike Camp and First Tee. We're teaching kids to exercise better and helping them get interested in golf."

"Our membership is changing," Powers said. "We are getting younger families with kids that are starting to play at a much younger age than my generation. Look at Joe Felder (Griffith E. Harris head golf professional) and what he does with the junior program. It's fun to see kids out there."